Sudden change of plans

Lightning Dust hurried through the market as she looked for the right store. If she’d thought ahead, she wouldn’t be buying gifts the day before Hearth’s Warming. Normally, she wouldn’t even bother celebrating Hearth’s Warming. Nopony stuck around her for long enough to feel attached. She’d dedicated her life to flying and stunts, leaving home soon after getting her cutie mark to train for the Wonderbolts. Well, everypony knew how that had turned out. But a couple of months ago, she’d been in a diner, and overheard somepony else complaining about being kicked out of the Wonderbolts. That was how she’d met Rolling Thunder. She’d then introduced Lightning Dust to Short Fuse, who had been in the same class.

So after a conversation over cider and hayfries, the three decided to form their own team, to prove to the world that you could draw crowds even if there wasn’t some well-known name behind you. They were still good enough flyers to qualify for the Wonderbolts after all, they were just too picky. So they made a couple posters, drew up some tricks (being careful not to be too similar to the Wonderbolts), and did a small stunt show in Appleloosa. The twenty ponies that showed up loved it. After that, the three hit upon the team name “Washouts,” taking pride in their rejection. They found that the more extreme or dangerous the stunt, the better crowds cheered and the more ponies came. And wasn't that why they wanted to be Wonderbolts anyway? The cheering fans, the recognition? That was Lightning Dust’s goal at least. That and the adrenaline rush. She knew she was the best, and wanted to show off and prove it. Rolling Thunder liked the thrill and danger, and Short Fuse… well, it was probably good that he had an outlet for his anger.

But Lightning Dust’s contentment had changed earlier that day with an offhand comment from Rolling Thunder. They were in Rainbow Falls, using the same stadium that the Equestria Games used. The team was cleaning up from the show the day before and were getting ready to laze around for Hearth's Warming Eve and Hearth’s Warming Day. Rolling Thunder crawled out of one of the cannons after cleaning it and said, “You know, it’ll be nice to actually have a good Hearth’s Warming this year. Haven’t had anyone to spend it with for a few years now.”

“You want to do Hearth’s Warming? Isn’t that just for foals and ponies with families?” Lightning Dust replied.

“HEY! DON’T INSULT HEARTH’S WARMING! DO YOU WANT TO BE FROZEN BY A WINDIGO? I DIDN’T THINK SO!” Short Fuse shouted. Lightning Dust and Rolling Thunder twitched as he interjected. They were used to his outbursts, but he could still startle them.

“I know Hearth’s Warming is mostly an excuse for foals to get presents and all, but it’s really a way to show ponies that you care. I just want to contribute to friendship for once, instead of just making bits and showing off how we’re better than everypony else,” Rolling Thunder said.

“I guess we are a bit like a family,” Short Fuse said. “But we can’t get everything ready by tonight. The market’s going to be packed with ponies. And we’re stuck in a hostel anyways,” Short Fuse grumbled. “IT WON’T BE LIKE REAL HEARTH’S WARMING!”

Lightning Dust grinned. “Is that a challenge? I bet I can get you two gifts and Hearth’s Warming decorations by tonight.”

“Are ya sure? Everywhere’s going to be crammed with ponies all trying to do the same thing,” Rolling Thunder said

“You know how fast I am,” Lightning Dust bragged. “Now, which one of you is getting food?”

“What kind of food are we getting? Our hostel room doesn’t have a stove or place to cook. I think it might even be doing a dinner tonight for the ponies staying here. Not everypony has a family to go home to.”

“Alright. I’m going to use the bits from our last show to get presents and decorations while you two finish up here. When I get back, you two can go shopping while I set up and make sure there's food. Got that?” Lightning Dust said.

Rolling Thunder nodded, while Short Fuse shouted, “DON’T BE LATE!”

Lightning Dust flew back to their hostel to get her saddlebags, hurrying so much that her trademark lightning trail streamed behind her. She dashed back toward the market, dodging around other pegasi and store signs. There was snow on the ground, and the weather pegasi were gearing up for more to come the next day.

Lightning Dust thought about what her team might want for Hearth’s Warming. Short Fuse might want something to help his anger issues, but he might take something too on-the-nose the wrong way. Rolling Thunder loved risk-taking almost as much as Lightning Dust, but she was a little older, a little slower, and didn’t always finish the stunts unscathed. Lightning Dust’s ear twitched as she remembered her leg getting caught in the Crushinator Jaws of Smashalot (patent pending). Lightning Dust didn’t know how she managed to walk around on that leg after the show for an hour before heading to the hospital.

Lightning Dust decided to get decorations first. She stopped to think about what was normal for decorations; she knew that every family did things slightly differently.

Let’s see, I need a fire, Hearth’s Warming set, and some wreaths or streamers or something for the window and door. Rainbow Falls was a small village, mostly used for sporting events. Many ponies called it a tourist trap, and they weren’t entirely wrong. The good news was that there were a lot of stores full of hoofmade knick-knacks, often with “Rainbow Falls” written on them. The bad news was that they were often marked up in price, first due to their rarity and ability to rip off tourists, and now due to the proximity to Hearth’s Warming. Lightning Dust went into a store with a wreath above the door, labeled as “Holly Wreath’s Ornaments.”

With a name like that, this pony’s gotta be good. Hovering over the crowd, Lightning Dust peered into crates of wreaths and displays of decorations. The cheaper items were in crates anypony could get to, but the more expensive items were in displays behind the counter where a pine-green-coated earth pony stallion with a cutie mark of two red baubles stood, taking bits and giving items in return. She selected a simple wreath of evergreen branches with a red bow, and got in line to buy a Hearth's Warming scene. There were five ponies in front of her, and of course it was a unicorn that had to look for any defect before finding the carved figurines satisfactory. Lightning Dust swished her tail in agitation. Fifteen minutes later, Lightning Dust was face to face with the store’s owner.

Wow, this pony’s perfect for Hearth’s Warming, Lightning Dust thought.

“My name is Holly Wreath, what can I get you?” the stallion asked.

Lightning Dust pulled the wreath off from around her wing and set it on the counter. “I need this wreath, and one of your cheapest Hearth’s Warming sets. Also, do you sell fake Friendship Fires? I wasn’t planning on Hearth's Warming this year but something came up, so I’m in a hurry.”

“No problem at all, I have some basic unpainted carved sets here.” He pulled out a tray with the set in the traditional arrangement: Clover the Clever, Private Pansy, and Smart Cookie around a fire, with three more blocky pony shapes farther out, showing the leaders frozen while the ponies with friendship working together. Though the figurines were unpainted, they were unmistakable: Commander Hurricane had a tall, crested hat with his wings spread wide, Private Pansy was kneeling down to a small animal, Chancellor Puddinghead had an obnoxiously large top hat, Smart Cookie had her trademark feather in her hat, Princess Platinum had an exaggerated crown with her horn poking out, and Clover the Clever had his cloak and a book. “I don’t have Friendship Fires though. No horn to enchant them,” Holly Wreath said, tapping his head. “I think there’s some twins up the street selling them, though. Flim and Flam, got some nice suits, can’t miss them.”

“Great. This looks good enough to me. You do this all year? Sounds like a bad way to run a store, only selling for one holiday,” Lightning Dust said.

“Oh, I rotate. I make things for the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Night, and so on. Not to mention I make souvenirs for all the sports that use our stadium. Say, aren’t you one of those teams? The Washups, or something?”

“We’re the Washouts!” Lightning Dust exclaimed, spreading her wings and striking a pose. “Best stunt flying team there is! You can’t find fire rings and cannons in the Wonderbolts! And I’m their leader, Lightning Dust!”

“Is that so? Well, next time you come through here, let me know a month in advance, so I can get some merchandise made. You get first pick and can reject anything you don’t like, of course.”

“Sounds great. Well, I’d love to talk more, but I really need to pay for this and get the rest of the stuff. How many bits is this going to cost?”

“Well, since you’re in a hurry, and I might be making some bits from merchandise based on you… 75 bits. Normally, it’d be a hundred.”

“Fine.” Lightning Dust pulled out her bag of bits and counted them out. This would put the team back a bit, but they had enough to survive even with this shopping spree.

Lightning Dust flew back outside, with the Hearth’s Warming set in one saddle bag, and the wreath around her neck. It was getting colder as midday made its way into the afternoon. Following Holly Wreath’s directions, she looked for anything that looked like a unicorn’s shop.

“Get your Hearth’s Warming supplies here! Gifts, Hearth’s Warming sets, Friendship Fires, we have it all! And if you’re not completely satisfied, you can return the item for a refund! Check out Flim and Flam’s Hearth’s Warming Emporium!” Circling around, Lightning Dust found a stall staffed by two yellow unicorns, identical except for one having a mustache.

“Young mare, you look like you’re in need of some Hearth’s Warming material. What can the Flim Flam brothers help you with at this dire hour?” the one with the mustache said.

“I need a Friendship Fire. I don’t need a fancy one, just one that’s warm and that I can turn on.”

“Well, you’re in luck!” The twin said energetically as he pulled a crystal cluster from behind him with his field. It was about four hoofwidths high, and five wide, with many small hexagonal points. “This little number is our most popular seller. Just tap with two hooves, and it lights up and warms the whole room!” To demonstrate, he reached up and tapped either side with his hooves, and the crystal cluster began to glow with a lavender light and warmth. Lightning Dust leaned in, warming her muzzle.

“Just tap it again the same way to turn it off. Guaranteed to hold at least eight hour’s worth of charge, then it shuts off until recharged by one of us or a licensed Flim Flam repair unicorn,” the other twin said, demonstrating. Lightning Dust leaned back, put off by the brother’s synchronization.

“How much is it?” Lightning Dust asked,. She’d only brought 200 bits with her, and magic items tended to be expensive. Still, the Friendship Fire was the most important part of Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“25 bits for you, my good mare. Make sure to tell your friends about us! We travel the world, searching for ponies in distress that we can help at low cost.” Lightning Dust’s eyes went wide at the surprisingly low price. A refund was guaranteed, so there shouldn’t be a problem, right?

“Awesome.” Lightning Dust pulled out her bit bag as Flam levitated the box into her saddlebags. Lightning Dust found herself with half her original bits, ready to go gift shopping. But what to buy? She didn’t see anything else in the Flim Flam brother’s stall that might interest her team, so she left and started trotting up the street, looking into stores and the occasional cart staffed by ponies bundled up for the cold.

Candy? Nah. Toys? I doubt any of us would like that. Sports? Well, we are active. I wonder what’s in there?

Lightning Dust stepped into “Good Sport’s Bargain Bin.” There were the expected balls of different shapes and sizes for any sport, as well as protective equipment for more physical sports. Lightning Dust thought about some kind of protective equipment for Rolling Thunder, something that could fit under the flight suit, or maybe a brace to protect from other injuries. Contrary to the opinion that the Washouts rejected all safety equipment, their helmets were rated to protect from uncontrolled freefall, and the suits were insulated from fire and electricity. They pushed the boundaries of safety, but they didn’t reject it altogether. Nopony wanted to die, after all.

Lightning Dust found some braces tucked away in a corner. It seemed like they not only supported the fetlocks and knees, but also offered more protection if their wearer got hit or crushed. That would certainly prevent another incident like the Crushinator Jaws of Smashalot (patent pending). Rolling Thunder might need help with the buckles, though. Well, they helped each other put on flight suits all the time, so it wouldn’t be that awkward. And Lightning Dust knew that Rolling Thunder would never complain about pain, but she saw her limp that she had gotten after that one Ponyville show. This would help her walk more normally, and hopefully get injured less.

Lightning Dust wandered around the store, trying to find something Short Fuse would like. Near the entrance, she found something that might work: a pony-sized stuffed effigy of Tirek. It’d be risky, but if Short Fuse didn’t get angry, he’d love it. It had been over a year since he had nearly razed Equestria, but everypony remembered it. Being without her pegasi abilities, without her cutie mark… nopony really talked about it. But this version wasn’t just some plush to hug like a teddy bear. This label said it was designed to be bucked, kicked, and otherwise abused. It was apparently even spelled to be fire and magic resistant. And best of all, it made a hilarious squeak when squeezed or hit. An evil grin came to Lightning Dust’s face. They might all want to take a turn on this.

So she made her way to the store owner with her two items in tow. She had to drag the Tirek doll with her teeth, while balancing Rolling Thunder’s braces on her back.

The owner, presumably Good Sport, was a pegasus stallion with a blue coat and blond mane. “Last minute gift shopping?” he asked.

Lightning Dust said a muffled “yes” behind a mouthful of plush.

“That’s 75 bits for everything. Those Tirek dolls aren’t cheap, sorry.”

Lightning Dust expected as much. Still, she paid out the cost. “Could you wrap these up too? I want them to be a surprise.”

Good Sport brought out a small box for the braces that just barely fit into her saddlebags. The Tirek doll was far too big, so Good Sport put a strong ribbon on it so Lightning Dust could carry it while flying.

Lightning Dust had finished her shopping. She had a wreath around her neck, saddlebags full with a Hearth’s Warming set, Friendship Fire crystal, and Rolling Thunder’s braces, and was carrying a box as big as her, alternating between holding it with her hooves and her teeth. Fully loaded, she flew out the door.

It was now about 3 pm, and the weather pegasi had started a gentle snow. The cold started biting at Lightning Dust. Why didn’t I bring a scarf? And with all this stuff, I should have brought a wagon, too, Lightning Dust complained to herself. The box with Tirek in it bumped against her barrel, and the wreath itched and scratched her neck. Too stubborn to stop now, she flew back to the hostel the Washouts were staying in, flying to the window to their room. The windows were unlocked, but her mouth and hooves were full.

Lightning Dust tapped on the window, hoping that her teammates were back. A couple of seconds later, Rolling Thunder opened the window.

“Wow! What’cha got there? It’s huge!”

“Graf ith an’ I’ll ‘ell oo” Lightning Dust mumbled around the ribbon in her teeth. Rolling Thunder carefully pulled the package in, then Lightning Dust followed.

“It got colder than I thought it would while I was shopping. This wreath didn’t even keep my neck warm, just itched and pulled at my coat.” Lightning Dust said as she pulled it off her neck. “That big box is for Short Fuse, and I’ve got the rest of the stuff in my saddlebags. Where is he, anyways?”

“Eh, said he needed to get something, didn’t say exactly what. He might even be gift shopping for us, huh?” Rolling Thunder said with a nudge and a wink. “So? Show me what you bought!”

“I got the normal stuff; at least, what my family did growing up. Didn’t want to bother with all the lights and stuff, just the things with stories attached to them. I got the wreath, a wood Hearth’s Warming set, and a crystal Friendship Fire. Really traditional would use an actual hearth, but we don’t have that in this hostel room, just steam boilers probably warmed with coal.”

“You forgot the food. Didn’t you have fried haycakes as a filly on Hearth’s Warming Morning? I learned that it’s supposed to be the first meal shared by the founding Equestrians. Once they all defrosted, obviously.”

“My family didn’t do that. Our traditions were to nibble a piece of a wreath before lighting the Friendship Fire, since evergreen needles were the only food left pegasi could eat before the Unification. We also slept as a family by the Friendship Fire to feel its heat. And the Hearth’s Warming set is arranged around the Fire, too. My family has a nice porcelain set that we’ve passed down for years. We usually went to the local Hearth's Warming play, too.”

“Sounds pretty similar to what I’m used to. We didn’t do the Fire of Friendship all night, just for the dinner, though,” Rolling Thunder responded.

“By the way, were you planning on going shopping? You’re gonna be the only one who hasn’t at this rate,” Lightning Dust said.

“Nah, I doubt I’d make it to the market before the weather ponies really start the snow. Tell ya what, next few times we get cider, I’m buying. And I’ll make sure it’s good stuff. You and Short Fuse have no taste buds for good cider. Then we’ll be even.”

“I won’t ever say no to free cider!” Lightning Dust laughed.

The two ponies set up the decorations. They put the crystal Friendship Fire in the center of the room, the Hearth’s Warming set arranged around it —with the frozen leaders farther away from the fire than the advisors — and hung the wreath on the outside windowsill.

The room looked a lot less sparse now. This hostel just had a wooden floor, with a worn rug in the center and a cabinet to store personal belongings in. There were cushions and blankets stacked next to the wall for when they were ready to sleep.

Soon after the decorations were placed, the door opened and Short Fuse entered. “It is TOO COLD out there! I wanted a nice snow cover, not an invitation to the Windigos! The weather ponies could bring the temperature up ten degrees and still have just as much snow.” Though Short Fuse had clearly shook off most of the snow, flecks and chunks of ice still glistened in his coat.

Rolling Thunder turned toward Lightning Dust. “Told you it wouldn’t be worth it to go out. Once the snow starts, everypony closes up anyway.” Looking back at Short Fuse pulling off his saddlebags, she continued, “We got all the decorations already. Lightning Dust wasn’t quite as fast as she claimed she would be, but we have all the normal Hearth’s Warming stuff. What’d ya get, Shorty?”

“Hey! That wasn’t cool!” Lightning Dust and Short Fuse both growled at the same time.

Roaring Thunder frowned.“Sorry, that might have been a bit too far. But still, what else did we need?”

“I don’t know about your families, but a couple of my grandparents are Earth ponies, so I got some of their heritage. I went and got us Hearth’s Warming dolls. They’re not perfect, deal with it,” Short Fuse said. He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a small cloth doll for each of them.

“Short Fuse, I don’t know for sure, but aren’t these supposed to look like us? They barely look close!” Rolling Thunder held up her doll. It was a royal purple, darker than her own coat, with a silver mane.

“DEAL WITH IT! MINES ORANGE! DO I LOOK ORANGE TO YOU?” Short Fuse yelled.

Lightning Dust started laughing. “At least you two are the right tribe. You gave me a unicorn one!” she said, holding up her mint-green unicorn with a cream mane and tail.

“Yeah, yeah. You do better at closing time on Hearth’s Warming and find matching ones,” Short Fuse grumbled.

“Next year, we’ll plan ahead so we have something to do on Hearth’s Warming. So, uh, what do we do with these dolls?” Lightning Dust asked.

“You put them around the fire, so they can be warm too. That’s what my parents told me, at least,” Short Fuse said with a shrug. The three Washouts put their mismatched dolls near the inactive Friendship Fire on the floor.

“Now that that’s taken care of, you two coming down to the restaurant for their dinner? I’m sure they have the fried haycakes you were looking for, Thunder.”

“Works for me. Did you want to do the Hearth’s Warming stuff before or after food? ‘Cuz I’m hungry,” Rolling Thunder replied.

“I don’t know if you want to do the same thing I am, but I was going to take a nibble of the evergreen wreath before eating dinner, like my family does. Lightning Dust said, slightly embarrassed. “Then I was thinking of opening gifts after dinner.”

Short Fuse walked towards the bathroom. “I’m going to dry off before this soaks through my coat, then I’ll try it,” he called over his shoulder.

Lightning Dust reached out for the wreath, pulled out a few needles, and started chewing. The acrid taste of pine sap filled her mouth as the needles slipped and fought being ground down. Did Commander Hurricane really choose to eat this rather than work with other ponies? Featherbrain.

Rolling Thunder went next. She pulled off an entire twig of needles and started chewing. Her face wrinkled in revulsion, and Lightning Dust nodded in sympathy. Nopony ever chose to get a full mouthful, except stallions trying to impress mares.

“The taste gets better after you swallow. Rinse out your mouth with water before you eat, otherwise the food’ll just taste like sap.”

“Wow. Did pegasi really eat that before Unification? How did they stand it?”

“That’s what my parents told me. I guess if you’re starving, you’d eat anything.”

Then, Short Fuse walked out of the bathroom, coat mostly dry. “Alright, let’s try this thing.” he said as he bit a large mouthful off the wreath. Lightning Dust and Rolling Thunder cringed, waiting for the outburst. Short Fuse managed to chew five times before spitting out the needles. “Blech! That is the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve tried Rolling Thunder’s cooking!” He then started rinsing out his mouth from the sink.

Rolling Thunder stepped over. “Easy there, buddy. It wasn’t a contest.” After a minute of washing out the taste, Short Fuse stood up and wiped his muzzle.

“Your family did that every year?” Short Fuse asked Lightning Dust.

“Yeah, at least as long as I remember. You’re really only supposed to take two or three needles. My dam also said something about displaying the wreath on the outside of your house said that the family wasn’t completely starving, and could feed other pegasi in need. Don’t know if that’s true though, never studied about it.”

“Weird, my family did the dolls and the Hearth’s Warming set. I knew earth ponies and pegasi did things differently, but I thought all pegasi celebrated the same,” Short Fuse said.

With that incident behind them, the trio began to walk downstairs to the restaurant. They found all the normal Hearth’s Warming foods; pies and tarts, mashed potatoes and hay, flower casseroles. Rolling Thunder found fried haycakes, to her delight. Short Fuse got a salad, while Lightning Dust munched on flower casseroles. After the meal, the community put on a small rendition of the Hearth’s Warming tale for those staying in Rainbow Falls for the holidays. Carols were sung, and they all had a good time. After several hours, as the party slowed down, the Washouts went back to their room to open their gifts.

Lightning Dust started by turning on the crystal Friendship Fire, tapping one hoof to each side of the crystal. Immediately warmth spread through the room, beating back the chill from the overnight snowstorm. The radiators sat quiet and cool, only a little heat flowing through them. It seemed this town was following the last few year’s trend to turn the heat low on Hearth’s Warming Eve to reflect the bitter cold of the Windigos. Either that, or this hostel was cheap and wanted an excuse to save coal.

“So, Lightning, what’d you get me? That box is HUGE!” Short Fuse asked.

“Short Fuse, this big one is yours, and Rolling Thunder, this box is for you.” Lightning Dust passed out the boxes.

Short Fuse wasted no time in tearing off the bow and reaching inside. Pulling out the Tirek effigy taller than him, his expression cycled from confusion, to shock, to anger. “What kind of joke is this? You’re giving me a doll of one the monsters that almost destroyed Equestria, and the one that actually hurt all of us? What is this?!” Short Fuse threw it across the room, where it hit the wall with a squeak!

“Did that just squeak like a dog toy?” Short Fuse asked in confusion.

“It’s not a doll, Short Fuse, it’s a punching bag shaped like a pathetic villain that got itself locked back up in Tartarus by a rainbow.” Lightning Dust explained, picking up the Tirek doll and bucking it back towards Short Fuse. “It’s supposed to be able to handle all kinds of abuse. I thought you might like something to buck that isn’t going to get broken or hurt.”

Short Fuse poked at the doll, then bucked it at Rolling Thunder, who buffeted it back to Lightning Dust with a wing. Lightning Dust caught it in her teeth and threw it to Short Fuse, who began to strike it into the floor, a squeak with every blow. Short Fuse started laughing, hitting it harder and harder, without any visible damage to the doll.

“THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!” Short Fuse shouted, laughing in a manic tone that made Lightning Dust wonder if she pushed her teammate too far. But soon, the novelty wore off, and he calmed down and waited for Rolling Thunder to open her gift. She unwrapped the box of braces, one for each leg.

“We’ve seen you limp around with the injuries you tend to get. These should be able to not only protect you a bit, it’ll reduce the amount of pain you feel and help you be more mobile afterward. Also, it’ll save us bits on bandages.”

Rolling Thunder’s eyes became misty. “You noticed? I tried to hide it well enough. I didn’t want to hold you back. I know I’m not as young as I used to be, but these will give me a few more years of performing.” Rolling Thunder wiped her eyes. “Thank you.”

The presents had been opened, food eaten, Friendship Fire started, and so Hearth’s Warming Eve came to a close. The boxes were placed to a side of the room, to be taken out with the trash. Each pony brought a cushion and blanket with them to huddle around the Friendship Fire to keep warm and complete the tradition. Just as the Washouts settled and became comfortable, however, the crystal Friendship Fire cracked and dimmed, losing the heat it had been providing.

“What happened?” Lightning Dust asked. “The unicorns promised this should last for eight hours, not one.” Lightning Dust got up and pulled the instructions from the box.

“Place one hoof on each side to turn on and off. Guaranteed to last 8 hours on a charge. WARNING: Charge before use. This product has the base enchantment, but only the minimal thaums stored to maintain the enchantment. Use before a full charge from a licensed unicorn will discharge the enchantment and void the warranty. In this case, a refund cannot be guaranteed.”

“Ponyfeathers, I got scammed by some smooth-talking unicorn salesponies. They didn’t tell me I needed to have this charged. I think we’re in for a cold night, team,” Lightning Dust sighed.

“There’s one thing we could do before we do that, if we want to,” Rolling Thunder said.

“What’s your idea?”

“Well… We could get in the same blankets and share heat. If you're okay with it,” Rolling Thunder said, suddenly bashful.

Lightning Dust considered it. They were close. They had been a team for months. They shared a locker room, and did get physical with each other. They did hoofbumps, wing taps, and all the normal teasing that friends get into in close proximity with each other. But Rolling Thunder's idea would be beyond that. It’d be intimate, in a way that Lightning Dust hadn’t felt in… maybe ever.

“Short Fuse, What do you think? I don’t want us to cuddle unless we’re all comfortable with it,” Lightning Dust asked, not sure if her fear of connection was stronger than her longing for closeness and warmth.

“Sounds good to me,” Short Fuse said. The three ponies gathered their cushions to the middle of the floor next to the rapidly cooling Friendship Fire, along with their blankets. The cushions were pushed tightly together, to avoid gaps. Rolling Thunder was the first to lie down, centering herself in the pile. Short Fuse was next, resting his head on a lump in the cushion as Rolling Thunder placed her head on his barrel. Lightning Dust hesitated, then crawled in, pulling the blankets over them all. Her barrel rested against Rolling Thunder’s. Lightning Dust felt warmer than she had with just the crystal Friendship Fire. And it wasn’t just from the physical closeness.

Maybe she didn’t get a gift this Hearth’s Warming. But she received something more important than free cider, or a toy at a store.

She got a family.

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